GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu - Setup

This is a discussion on GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu - Setup ; Trying to install Ubuntu 8.04 on an XP machine, to the USB external
HD.
When I did the installation, it overwrote the MBR, so upon reboot I
was getting error 21. I did the XP repair of the MBR, so ...

GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

Trying to install Ubuntu 8.04 on an XP machine, to the USB external
HD.

When I did the installation, it overwrote the MBR, so upon reboot I
was getting error 21. I did the XP repair of the MBR, so now at least
I am able to run XP. But can't get into Ubuntu. Tried to put the
installation CD back into the CD drive, but it still doesn't boot into
Linux - XP boots up (I checked the BIOS and it is supposed to boot
from the CD drive first).

I guess I have two questions. How do I boot into Ubuntu from the CD?
How do I get GRUB installed on the external HD, presumably, so that I
can have a dual-boot machine?

TIA

Pete

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

"Hedrew3" wrote in message
news:ee1f8d6a-0587-4210-883c-0151384f7a96@n33g2000pri.googlegroups.com...
> Trying to install Ubuntu 8.04 on an XP machine, to the USB external
> HD.
>
> When I did the installation, it overwrote the MBR, so upon reboot I
> was getting error 21. I did the XP repair of the MBR, so now at least
> I am able to run XP. But can't get into Ubuntu. Tried to put the
> installation CD back into the CD drive, but it still doesn't boot into
> Linux - XP boots up (I checked the BIOS and it is supposed to boot
> from the CD drive first).
>
> I guess I have two questions. How do I boot into Ubuntu from the CD?
> How do I get GRUB installed on the external HD, presumably, so that I
> can have a dual-boot machine?
>
> TIA
>
> Pete

First off, you already installed Ubuntu once...
so to do it again, you'd simply do it the way you originally did .

However, as you say, it did not work,
so I would honestly not bother to try again.

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

Thanks for your informative reply, mowron. Next time, do your keyboard
a favor.

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

Hedrew3 wrote:
> Trying to install Ubuntu 8.04 on an XP machine, to the USB external
> HD.
> When I did the installation, it overwrote the MBR, so upon reboot I
> was getting error 21.

I have never installed Ubuntu but back in the old days with Redhat it always
created a dual boot for windows. I am surprised Ubuntu does not. Perhaps you
chose the wrong option?
> I did the XP repair of the MBR, so now at least
> I am able to run XP. But can't get into Ubuntu. Tried to put the
> installation CD back into the CD drive, but it still doesn't boot into
> Linux - XP boots up (I checked the BIOS and it is supposed to boot
> from the CD drive first).

Again, knowing nothing about Ubuntu, a rescue disk is usually separate from
the installation disks if it comes on CDs. It is just a matter of the amount
of data a CD can hold.
> I guess I have two questions. How do I boot into Ubuntu from the CD?
> How do I get GRUB installed on the external HD, presumably, so that I
> can have a dual-boot machine?

If you have an external HD simply install it there and use your BIOS settings
to choose between it and XP by selecting either the external or the internal
as the first to search for a boot record.

--
If this financial mess has taught us anything it is that the government can
CREATE hundreds of billions of dollars by magic and SPEND them without
authorization from Congress in violation of the US Constitution.
-- The Iron Webmaster, 4056http://www.giwersworld.org/holo/ a8

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

For some reason my BIOS doesn't see the Ext HD as a boot option.

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

Hedrew3 wrote:
> For some reason my BIOS doesn't see the Ext HD as a boot option.

Then you need to consider upgrading your computer. But you know that.

That being the case you have to have a dual boot on the internal drive. Do
you have more than one? If so, even the oldest BIOS around today will let you
pick which one first. You can also take the external out of its case and make
it internal with buying a connector cable as the worst of it. The drives are
identical. The difference is a small interface card converting ATA or SATA to
USB. Unfortunately if it is a SATA inside your computer likely does not have
an interface for one so that will be out.

I would certainly try to install again watching for an option that suggest
dual boot is a choice. If that fails I have never had a dual boot problem with
Redhat distros but I haven't done a dual installation in eight years.

I read this newsgroup as well as two others and reports like yours are very
rare. Unfortunately very few people come back and tell how they solved their
problem so suggestions are largely into black holes.

If all else fails, you have an old computer around with a 20 or 40 GB drive?
Install that as a second internal. You can change /home to a simlink to the
larger main drive now that you have a section of it as linux partitions.

If you are new to this and any of the above appear feasible I should be able
to talk you through implementing it.

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

Hedrew3 wrote in news:ee1f8d6a-0587-4210-883c-0151384f7a96@n33g2000pri.googlegroups.com:
> Trying to install Ubuntu 8.04 on an XP machine, to the USB external
> HD.
>
> When I did the installation, it overwrote the MBR, so upon reboot I
> was getting error 21. I did the XP repair of the MBR, so now at least
> I am able to run XP. But can't get into Ubuntu. Tried to put the
> installation CD back into the CD drive, but it still doesn't boot into
> Linux - XP boots up (I checked the BIOS and it is supposed to boot
> from the CD drive first).

If set correctly in BIOS the CD (or any bootable CD) should then boot
before the hard drive.....keep a close eye on the bootup screens as you
may be missing a prompt that states something like "Press Enter key to
boot from CDROM".....if the key isn't pressed, after a specific timeout,
the computer will continue booting by bypassing the CDROM and proceeding
to the next bootable unit specified in the BIOS (which is probably the
hard drive)
>
> I guess I have two questions. How do I boot into Ubuntu from the CD?
> How do I get GRUB installed on the external HD, presumably, so that I
> can have a dual-boot machine?

......and lastly, a hint....pay close attention to the harddrive names
when installing grub in a two hard drive system as grub seems to get a
little confused at times. See the supergrub documentation for more on
this specific issue.

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

On Oct 5, 8:17 pm, Hedrew3 wrote:
> For some reason my BIOS doesn't see the Ext HD as a boot option.

Just a thought --

I couldn't find any way to boot from an external USB HD on several of
my new-for-2008 desktop systems from HP/Compaq and I wondered why they
were using a stone-age BIOS. There was absolutely nothing selectable
from the USB bus as a boot device option (let alone boot device
order).

Then I tried something different: plugged-in and powered-on the
external
USB HD before powering-on the desktop. Bingo, problem solved, though
the
setup still wasn't immediately obvious; this is with AMI and Award
BIOSs
on ASUS motherboards. As I belatedly discovered months after buying
the
systems and reading all available docs, they can even boot from USB
thumb-
drives if the drive is plugged-in before starting the system.

Note, also, that plugging in the external USB HD after entering BIOS
setup
does nothing useful -- the USB device must be on the bus before
startup.

Try it; you may be as pleasantly surprised as I was. :-)

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

Hedrew3 wrote:
> Trying to install Ubuntu 8.04 on an XP machine, to the USB external
> HD.
>
> When I did the installation, it overwrote the MBR, so upon reboot I
> was getting error 21. I did the XP repair of the MBR, so now at least
> I am able to run XP. But can't get into Ubuntu. Tried to put the
> installation CD back into the CD drive, but it still doesn't boot into
> Linux - XP boots up (I checked the BIOS and it is supposed to boot
> from the CD drive first).
>
> I guess I have two questions. How do I boot into Ubuntu from the CD?
> How do I get GRUB installed on the external HD, presumably, so that I
> can have a dual-boot machine?
>
> TIA
>
> Pete

It's idiots like you who give Linux a bad name

***PLONK***

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

porvoon wrote:
> Hedrew3 wrote:
>> Trying to install Ubuntu 8.04 on an XP machine, to the USB external
>> HD.
>>
>> When I did the installation, it overwrote the MBR, so upon reboot I
>> was getting error 21. I did the XP repair of the MBR, so now at least
>> I am able to run XP. But can't get into Ubuntu. Tried to put the
>> installation CD back into the CD drive, but it still doesn't boot into
>> Linux - XP boots up (I checked the BIOS and it is supposed to boot
>> from the CD drive first).
>>
>> I guess I have two questions. How do I boot into Ubuntu from the CD?
>> How do I get GRUB installed on the external HD, presumably, so that I
>> can have a dual-boot machine?
>>
>> TIA
>>
>> Pete
>
>
> It's idiots like you who give Linux a bad name
>
>
> ***PLONK***

I was rather impressed with your personal diplomatic style in promoting the
use of linux. If there were more people like you promoting linux we could all
send condolences to Linus.

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

Matt Giwer wrote:
> porvoon wrote:
>> Hedrew3 wrote:
>>> Trying to install Ubuntu 8.04 on an XP machine, to the USB external
>>> HD.
>>>
>>> When I did the installation, it overwrote the MBR, so upon reboot I
>>> was getting error 21. I did the XP repair of the MBR, so now at least
>>> I am able to run XP. But can't get into Ubuntu. Tried to put the
>>> installation CD back into the CD drive, but it still doesn't boot into
>>> Linux - XP boots up (I checked the BIOS and it is supposed to boot
>>> from the CD drive first).
>>>
>>> I guess I have two questions. How do I boot into Ubuntu from the CD?
>>> How do I get GRUB installed on the external HD, presumably, so that I
>>> can have a dual-boot machine?
>>>
>>> TIA
>>>
>>> Pete
>>
>>
>> It's idiots like you who give Linux a bad name
>>
>>
>> ***PLONK***
>
> I was rather impressed with your personal diplomatic style in
> promoting the use of linux. If there were more people like you promoting
> linux we could all send condolences to Linus.
>

Yeah, I suppose you are right. It just bugs me when someone does not
bother to think.

The guy first installed Linux ...somehow...
then later asks how to boot from the cd.

How could anyone possibly have such a short span of memory?

sheesh (shakes head)

Anyway, you are right, I should have just ignored him rather than have
made a comment.

Re: GRUB, MBR, Ubuntu

porvoon wrote:
> Hedrew3 wrote:
>> Trying to install Ubuntu 8.04 on an XP machine, to the USB external
>> HD.
>>
>> When I did the installation, it overwrote the MBR, so upon reboot I
>> was getting error 21. I did the XP repair of the MBR, so now at least
>> I am able to run XP. But can't get into Ubuntu. Tried to put the
>> installation CD back into the CD drive, but it still doesn't boot into
>> Linux - XP boots up (I checked the BIOS and it is supposed to boot
>> from the CD drive first).
>>
>> I guess I have two questions. How do I boot into Ubuntu from the CD?
>> How do I get GRUB installed on the external HD, presumably, so that I
>> can have a dual-boot machine?
>>
>> TIA
>>
>> Pete
>
>
> It's idiots like you who give Linux a bad name
>
>
> ***PLONK***